cooper



E. C. COOPER.

MOTOR VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 6. 1913.

1 ,358,935, Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

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MOTOR VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED 8.6.1913.

Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

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Qfldnesses;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERVJIN C. COOPER, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO PACKARD MOTOR CAR COMPANY, 013 DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION MICHIGAN.

\ MOTOR-VEHICLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

Application filed February 6, 1913. Serial No. 746,578.

1' Q) aEZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EnwlN C. COOPER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Detroit, W'ayne county, State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Motor-Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to motor vehicles. It particularly refers to vehicles using hydrocarbon motors, and one of the objects of the invention is to provide a motor of this type with a starting motor that may be temporarily connected to the vehicle motor by means that are easily operated by the driver. One embodiment of the invention is shown and described herein, and it comprises a hydrocarbon motor and a starting motor, which may be either an electric motor or an air motor or other suitable similar motor, which is connected to the crank shaft of the vehicle through a train of reducing gears Another object of the invention is to provide a train of gearing between the starting motor and the vehicle motor in combination with a suitable clutch mechanism for connecting the train of gears operatively to the vehicle motor crank shaft.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel form of clutch mechanism be tween the vehicle motor crank shaft and the hand starting crank and the starting shaft for the starting motor.

Another object of the invention is to provide a single device for operating the starting clutch mechanism and for throwing the switch to close the circuit of the starting motor, or, in case the starting motor is an air motor, to operate the valve thereof.

lVith a View to attaining these and other objects, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention consists in the features of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully de scribed and specified in the claims.

Referring to the drawings which form a part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a plan view and part horizontal section of the front end of a motor, together with contiguous parts of the vehicle frame;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the front end of the motor shown in Fig. 1, with part of one of the covers broken away; and

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the starting lever.

In the drawings, one of the side bars of the vehicle frame is indicated at 10, and two of the cross bars at 11. The motor is suitably suspended from this frame and comprises a crank case 12 in which the crank shaft 13 is mounted. in suitable bearings, not shown.

In Fig. 1, one of the 'cam shafts 14: is shown as mounted in a bearing 15 in the crank case, and an auxiliary shaft 16 is mounted in bearings 17. The rear end of the shaft 16 is provided with a universal joint 18 and a gear 19, by which any suitable motor mechanism, such as a magneto or generator, may be driven.

The forward end of the shaft 16 is provided with a pulley 20 for driving the mo tor fan.

Upon the front end of the crank shaft 13 is keyed a gear 21 which meshes with a gear 22 on the cam shaft 1 1, the latter gear driving a gear 23 secured to the shaft 16. Thus a train of gears is provided for operating the motor cam shaft and other parts of the motor.

The front end of the crank case is closed by a cover 24, shown in section in Fig. 1 and in elevation in Fig. 2, thereby forming a casing for the train ofgears 21, 22 and 23. It will be understood that there are gears similar to gears 22 and 23 extending on the other side of the crank shaft 13, all of which gears are housed within this gear casing.

It is well known that hydrocarbon motors must be cranked, that is, rotated several times in order to charge the cylinders and start the motor on its operating cycle. This may either be done by a hand operated mechanism or by an auxiliary motor or starting motor, such as a small electric or air motor. The present invention involves the use of a starting motor and a train of gearing connecting such motor to the vehicle motor, together with a suitable clutch for connecting the gearing to the vehicle motor crank shaft. As shown in the drawings, the starting motor consists of an electric motor 25, the windings of which may be energized by a battery 26 through conductors 27 and a switch 28. The armature shaft of this starting motor 25 is connected through suitable universal joints 29 to a gear 30, which is shown as being on the outer side of the cover 24. It will be seen in Fig. 2 that this motor 25 is suspended from the crank case of gears 21, 22*and 23, hereinabove' described, so that it will not interfere in any way with the motor parts driven by said ears. g A stub-shaft 31 is secured in a boss 32in the cover 24, and upon this shaft is mounted a large gear 33, which meshes with gear 30, and a small gear 34," which meshes with a large gear 35, secured on a shaft 36 mounted in axial alinement with the crank shaft 13.

The gears 30, 33, 34 and 35 thus form a train of gears'which considerably reduces the speed of theshaft 36 relative to'the armature shaft, and it will be noted that this train of gears is mounted parallel relative to the train of gears 21, 22 and 23but outside of the cover 24, being in fact supported upon said cover. i

This train of gears is also provlded w1th a cover 37 which is detachably secured to' the cover 24, as by bolts 38, shown particularly in Fig.2. I

The shaft 36 is mounted in the covers 24 and 37 in bearings 39, and is adapted to slide lengthwise in said bearings, and in this con- 'nection it will be noted that the width of the gear 34 is slightly greater than that of the gear 35, to permit of the sliding of the latter gear without decreasing the width of teeth in mesh.

The inner end of the shaft 36 is provided with clutching jaws 40, which are adapted to cotiperate with clutching jaws 41 on a clutch piece 42, which is likewise keyed to the front end of the crank shaft 13 and held thereon, together with the gear 21, by means of a nut 43. The'shaft 36 is yieldingly held in disengaged position by a leaf spring 44 secured to the front face of'the cover 24, as shown in Figs. land 2.

concentrically arranged and, in fact, mounted within the interior of'the shaft 36 153. second starting shaft-45, which is also provided with clutching jaws 46 which are likewise in the crank case and which cooperate with the jaws 41*o n the clutching piece 42, :the latter jaws being sufiiciently long'radially to engage 'with the-jaws of both shafts36 and '45. A spring 47, which has abearing'again'st'the reduced end 48 of the crank shaft 13 and which is housed with in 'the'interior ofthe shaft 45, tends to yieldingly holdthe starting shaft in disengaged position. A stop 49 sliding in an annular slot 50 limits the travel of the shaft 45, as will be clearly seen in Fig. 1.

The starting shaft 45 is connected with turned over by hand.

1T1. will be understood that the spring 44 holds the starting shaft 36 yieldingly in "disengaged position, but it is shown in Fig.

1 ineng'aged position, having been moved a bell crank lever 56 which is operated by a starting pedal 57, the lever 56 being pivoted in the bracket 58 on one of the cross members 11 of the vehicle frame. The lever 56 is also connected to a rockshaft 59, which has an arm 60 connected by a rod 61 to the bridging piece 62 of the switch 28, this bridging piece connecting the terminals 63 to close the circuit of the battery 26, which thereby sets the motor 25 in operation.

The connection of the link 55 with the downwardly extending arm of the bell crank lever 56 is shown particularly in Figs. 1 and 3. It will be seen that these parts'have a pin and slot connection and that the pin 64 is yieldingly held at one end of the slot by a spring 65 and a plunger 66. Thus, when the starting pedal 57 is depressed, the con necting link 55 is moved forwardly and the lever 52 is rocked to move the starting shaft 36 into engaging position with the teeth 41 of the crank shaft. If the teeth happen to be so positioned relatively that they will. not

readily mesh, the starting pedal 57 may be further depressed, thus compressing the spring 65 in the connection of the link 55, which at the same time rocks the shaft 59 and moves the bridging piece 62 into contact with the terminals 63, thereby closing the circuit of the battery 26 and the motor 25. This starts the operation of the train of gears 30, 33, 34 and 35, and consequently rotates the shaft 36 so that the clutching jaws thereof will readily mesh with the jaws 41 and then take up the crank shaft and rotate it. By this arrangement, it is insured.

that the starting shaft 36 will be in clutch- 1. In a hydrocarbon motor, the combination with the crank casing having a gear casing formed at one end thereof, and a train of gears in said casing for driving the operative parts of the motor, of a starting motor, a'train of gears therefrom-to the motor crank shaft mounted on the outside wall of said gear casing, and a cover for said latter train of gears.

2. In a hydrocarbon motor, the combination with the crank shaft, of a starting shaft alined therewith, a clutch mechanism arranged to connect the starting shaft with the crank shaft, a second starting shaft arranged to be connected with the crank shaft by clutch mechanism having a clutch element in common with the first mentioned clutch mechanism, and means for operating said clutch mechanism.

3. In a hydrocarbon motor, the (fOfilblIldtion with the crank case and the crank shaft mounted therein, of a starting shaft mount ed in bearings in the crank case and adapted to engage the crank shaft for starting, a second starting shaft mounted within the first starting shaft and adapted to independently engage the crank shaft for starting, and means for operating said starting shafts independently.

4. In a hydrocarbon motor, the combination with the crank case and the crank shaft mounted therein, of a starting shaft mounted in bearings in the crank case and adapted to engage the crank shaft for starting, a second starting shaft mounted within the first starting shaft and adapted to independently engage the crank shaft for starting, and means for operating said starting shafts independently.

5. In a hydrocarbon motor, the combination with the crank case and the crank shaft mounted therein, of a starting shaft mounted in hearings in the crank case and adapted to engage the crank shaft for starting, a-

second starting shaft mounted within the first starting shaft and adapted to independently engage the crank shaft for starting a spring between the crank case and one of said starting shafts, a spring between the crank shaft and the other said starting shaft, said springs adapted to retain said starting shafts yieldingly in disengaged position, and independent manually operated devices for moving said starting shafts into engagement with said crank shaft.

6. In a hydrocarbon motor, the combination with the crank shaft having a clutch member thereon, of two concentrically arranged starting shafts having clutch members adapted to cooperate with said clutch member, and means for independently moving either of said starting shafts to bring their respective clutch members into engagement with the first said clutch member.

7. In a hydrocarbon motor, the combination with the crank shaft having a clutch member thereon, of two concentrically arranged starting shafts having clutch members adapted to cooperate with said clutch member, and a gear on one and a starting handle on the other of said starting shafts for operating them respectively.

8. In a hydrocarbon motor, the combination with the crank case and the crank shaft therein, of a starting motor, a train of gears motor and a gear in axial alinement with said crank shaft, a sliding clutch connected to said latter gear and adapted to connect with said crank shaft, and a hand operated starting crank extending through said clutch and adapted to independently connect with said crank shaft.

10. In a hydrocarbon motor, the combination with the crank case and the crank shaft therein, of a starting motor, a train of gears having a gear connected to said starting motor, a starting shaft connected to another of said train ofgears, a clutch on said shaft for engagement with the crank shaft, and a hand operated starting shaft slidably mounted in the first said starting shaft and aldaptted to independently engage said crank s a 11. In a motor vehicle, the combination with the hydrocarbon motor thereof, of a starting motor having a starting switch, a train of gears from the starting motor to the vehicle motor crank shaft, a clutch for connecting said train of gears to said crank shaft, and a single operating device yieldingly connected to operate said clutch and rigidly connected to operate said switch.

12. In a motor vehicle, the combination with the hydrocarbon motor thereof, of a starting motor having a starting switch, a train of gears from the starting motor to the vehicle motor crank shaft, a clutch for connecting. said train of gears to said crank shaft, an operating lever, a connection from said lever to said clutch to move the same into operative engagement with said crank shaft, said connection including a yielding element, and a rigid connection from said operating lever to said switch to close the latter when the said clutch is fully engaged or upon the contraction of said yielding element.

13. In combination, an engine shaft, 9. slidably mounted starting shaft in alinement therewith, adapted for engagement by manually operable means, a clutch member on said engine shaft, a gear wheel fixed on said starting shaft and adapted to engage said clutch member, a motor, and reduction gearing operatively connecting said motor to said gear wheel.

14:. In combination, a crank case, an engine shaft mbunted therein, a clutch member fixed thereon, a clutch member slidably mounted in bearings in the crank case adapted to co-act with said first named clutch tively eonnectingsaid motor to said slidable clutch member.

'15. In combination, a crank case, an en- ,gine shaft mounted therein, a starting shaft slidably, and rotatably mounted in said case and in .alinement With said engine shaft, a clutch member on said engine shaft, a clutch member on said starting shaft adapted to cooperate With the first named clutch member, means for yieldingly separating said clutch members, and a motor operatively connected to said starting shaft.

16. In combination, a crank case, an engine shaft mounted therein, a slidably mounted starting shaft mounted in hearings in said case and in alinementwith said engine shaft and adapted to engage the same, means for yieldingly retaining said starting shaft in a disengaged position, means for reciprocating said starting shaft, and a motor operatively connected to said starting shaft.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses. V

ERWIN C. COQPER. Witnesses I CLARENCE A. MACDONALD, Ln R01 J. WILLIAMS. 

